How A Nonprofit Helps Launch Oakland Startups Like Blue Bottle Coffee And Back To The Roots

When it comes to Silicon Valley, investors tend to pay attention to promising technology companies. Yet, beyond this sector lies an abundance of community-oriented startups and specialty food businesses struggling to convene large amounts of capital. Fund Good Jobs, a non-profit investment organization based in Oakland, aims to change that.

Their focus is simple–invest in high growth entrepreneurs whose business model facilitates job opportunities for the Oakland community. Unlike a bank, Fund Good Jobs focuses on organizing financial resources and extends tailored investments ranging from $100,000 to $2 million.

“We learned that companies were able to access small amounts of capital, but not amounts above $250,000. So, they were below traditional return, but above the micro-stage Kickstarter phase,” says Sean Daniel Murphy, president of Fund Good Jobs.